Successful bone marrow transplant frees 10-year-old girl from lifelong transfusions

For the first 10 years of her life, Han's days were defined by hospital visits. Born with thalassemia, a congenital blood disorder, she needed transfusions once or twice a month, each lasting four to six hours and sometimes followed by a week of monitoring. The condition causes chronic anemia, leaving patients dependent on regular transfusions to maintain red blood cell levels and manage iron overload. Without continuous treatment, complications such as heart failure and cirrhosis are common.

"For 10 years, I have been longing for the day when my child can return home without worrying about the next blood transfusion," said Duong Thi Ai, Han's mother, on July 29 after doctors at Hue Central Hospital announced the transplant's success.

A bone marrow (stem cell) transplant remains the only cure for thalassemia. But with costs reaching VND500 million (US$19,000), and sterile isolation expenses excluded from insurance, the procedure is far beyond the means of most disadvantaged families like Han's.

Fortune smiled on Han when her younger sister, Le Phuong Bao Anh, 8, was found to be a compatible donor. With partial support from the Sun of Hope program of Hope Foundation, VnExpress, doctors at Hue Central Hospital performed a seven-hour transplant in early July.

Despite initial complications from a plasma-transfusion infection, Han has recovered. Two weeks after the procedure, doctors reported she was regaining strength and declared the transplant a success. If her progress continues, she will no longer depend on monthly transfusions.

"Each day I see my child regain her strength, and I cannot thank the doctors enough for giving her this new life," Ai said.

Le Ngoc Han and her mother Duong Thi Ai in the marrow transplant ward at Hue Central Hospital. Photo courtesy of Han’s family

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder. Families with a history of the disease are advised to undergo genetic screening. Marriages between gene carriers should be avoided, or if such unions occur, prenatal diagnosis is essential. If both parents carry the gene, there is a 50% chance the child will inherit it; 25% of children will have severe symptoms requiring lifelong treatment, while only 25% will be unaffected.

In Han's case, both parents are silent carriers but were unaware of that. Their eldest daughter developed the disease, while the younger did not. This difference allowed Anh to become a compatible donor.

In Vietnam, more than 12 million people are estimated to carry the gene, most without knowing it, as symptoms are often absent or limited to mild anemia.

Beyond the individual struggle, thalassemia is a pressing public health issue with long-term economic and generational consequences. Treatment costs for a patient can reach an average of VND3 billion from birth to age 30. Prevention is most effective through screening tests that detect the gene in the premarital and pre-pregnancy stages.

Le Ngoc Han at the discharge ceremony after successful bone marrow transplants at Hue Central Hospital. Photo by Lan Huong